Tuyere construction for cupolas



Oct. 26, 1937. J, K, LUTTS 2,096,732

TUYERE CONSTRUCTION FOR CUPOLAS Filed Jan. 7, 1935' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

Joshua/(Chub 2 ATTORNEY],

Oct. 26, 1937. J. K. CLUTTS TUYERE CONSTRUCTION FOR CUPOLAS Filed Jan. '7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a; zzz 1/1 x INVENTOR.

5 t t m X a m K n. a M M0.

Patented Oct. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE", E

4 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to tuyres, and particularly cupola tuyeres.

It is well known that the tuyres of a cupola at times become more or less clogged with slag or molten metal, so as to prevent adequate admission of air and detract from the quality of the melt. Occasionally, also, one or more of the tuyeres are melted away to an extent necessitating a 'replacement. In present practice, the tu yres are permanently embedded in the fire brick lining of a cupola and it is not feasible to clean out the tuyres until the melt has been run and the cupola has cooled. It follows that any material ologging of the tuyres in the course of a heat necessitates either inferior castings during the balance of the heat, or pigging of the melt, usually with great loss of time and fuel.

An object of the invention is to adapt the primary tuyeres of a cupola for ready removal, so

' that any clogged tuyre may at once be replaced by "a fully operative tuyere without interfering with operation of the cupola except as regards cutting off the air for a short time interval.

"Another'object'is topermit a quick and easy replacement of a burned-out tuyere, whether or not the cupola is in operation, and to avoid the destruction of fire brick involved in replacing the present type of built-in tuyres.

A- further'object is to form the air passage of a cupolatuyre with an outward flare rather than an inward one as in present practice, so that the velocity of the air in passing through the tuyere will increase rather than diminish, whereby theair will more readily penetrate the contents of the cupola and will have less tendency to rise'in close proximity to the lining. Thorough penetration of the contents of the cupola by incoming air is essential to proper preservation of the lining, as any undue rise of air in roximity to the lining generates undue heat in such proximity, with a destructive effect on the lining.

A further object is to form in a suitable frame one or more compartments, in each of which a cupola tuyre may be removably inserted, and to adapt the size of such compartment or compartments to be varied to properly accommodate tuyres of different sizes.

These and various other objects the invention attains in the construction hereinafter described,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in axial sectional elevation of the melting zone and basin of a cupola in which the improved tuyeres are installed.

'" Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View of the same,

taken upon the line 2 2 of Fig. '1 and showing I the main tuyeres.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged 'view of the inner end of one of the tuyre framesof the main tuyeres.

Fig; 4'is a horizontal sectional view taken upon 5' the line 4 4 of Fig, 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a wall plate, forming a removable part of the tuyre frame shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1 6-6 of Fig. 1 and showing the auxiliary tuyres.

In these views, the reference character I designates a cupola having the usual fire brick lining '2 and surrounding Wind box 3,v the latter having the usual air inlet. 7 15 Built into the lining 2 is a circular series of rectangular tuyere frames 4, formed preferably of cast iron. Eachof these frames forms 9. 3111 rality of circumferentially spaced-tuyre compartments 5, two being shown, and preferably-there 20" is formed a space 6 between such compartments with a cross wall Ba therein connecting the adja'-- cent walls ofthe compartments; The compartments extend from the outer to the inner faces of the frames, which faces are preferably flush 25" to the axis of the cupola, as best appearsin Fig. 2. 35

' In prior cupolas, the tuyere capacity is'substantially fixed, restricting the cupola to use of a certain type of fuel to which suchcapacity issuited. The present invention adapts a cupola to use of different types of fuel by providing for selective insertion in the frames 4 of tuyeres of various sizes. Thus, as best appears in Figs. 3 V and 4, the 'top and bottom plates of each tuyre frame are formed with several pairs of opposed grooves 8, and a wall plate 9 is removably inserted 45 in each pair of such grooves. Thus, by removal of one or more of the plates 9, the width of each compartment may be increased to adapt such compartment to receive a tuyere of greater air capacity. It is preferred to form each wall plate 56 9 with a vertical rib 9a to engage either the end wall of the tuyre frame or an adjacent plate 9, closing the spaces between the plates and between the latter and end walls of the frame and g limiting inward sliding travel of the plates, owing 5 The side walls of the frames 4 and t'uyeres, 30

considerably smaller than the primary tuyres and deliver correspondingly smaller'volumes of air, but at a greater velocity than the blast from the primary tuyeres. It is preferred to locate each auxiliary tuyre centrally above one of the V wall portions ll), so as to deliventhe -blasttfnom,

the auxiliary tuyeres to' interior regions of the cupola; circumferentially interveningbetween those supplied by the primary tuyeresr Thus the two sets ofituyres jointly effect an air delivery circumferentially covering the entire meltingzone, ofqthe. cupola.-.

To give'access to the primary tuyeresand.per-

mit of- -their. individual.-removaland replacement,

7 it ispreferred to. form the windibox, with aseries of openings IZ-inia radially opposed relationqto the 'tuyere frames 4, so that the tuyeres occupying; each-flame may, be. removed or replaced through, one.- of. said; openings.

are provided the usual: slag hole l5, tap hole. [6, andisandgbottom" I 1. I

Inioperation of: the describedcupola, when any of the primary tuy'res becomes clogged with slag oniron or is -unduly damaged; by heat, removal and-ireplacement of such tuyre may be quickly and-easily accomplished by; merely cutting off- 7 the ainsupplyq-forrasufiicient time interval to per- Q mituncoveringoneof:the-openings l2, withdrawal.

of: thedefective tuyere;and insertion ofan' operativef one. structed with; slag oriron removal of; the ob- 'structionrrmay beaccomplishedat leisure, and 4 5'the: tuyrey-may -bedaterplacedin service.

By-progressivelyrestricting the air passages of the:- primarytuyeresas; they-extend inwardly; the

I inventiontends-not onlyto-assure thorough and uniform penetration? of, thestock by the air, but

further-r tends! to avoidrunduerise ofithemelting;

zone and consequent well known disadvantages; It-has beemfound in:- actualpractice that the described:- tuyeresq-materially reduce therequisite quantity ofzrfuelv-and improvethewquality;and-uniformityofpthamelt.

Iniadditionito the-time saved in thusreplacing a-,tuyre-, the invention eliminates loss'due to inferior: iron -due,-,to;clogging of: any tuyere, and,

The openings I2 are normally closed by doors I3,'heldin' placeby any suitable fasteningineansJ-L r V At:- the usual. pointstbelow the primarytuyeres; V

lfathe; tuyereso removed is obfurther eliminates the destruction of fire brick, incident to removal and replacement of tuyeres as now installed.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the 5 scope of the following claims.

What I claim is: V 1. In a tuyere construction for vcunolas, a tuyere frame comprising top and bottom plates, spaced toformiatuyre compartment,-.a-side wall 10 for such compartment extending between'the top and bottom plates, and a plurality of plates in sortable in a desired number, between the top and bottom plates, in different spaced relations :said: side wall; and in aside-by-side' relation, 15

tied top andbottom plates each having a plurality'of converging grooves 'to accommodate the insertedplatesceachwf the plates being laterally formed with a rib to engage the side of an ad- 7 joining plate and close the spaces between the 20 V "'spacedisetsi of converginggroovs,vertically OIJ -g;

posed onlthe top and bottom. plates, a. partition.

connectingQthe top. andibotto'm plates substa-n tially midway. between. the two 'set'si'ofi grooves; and two sets. ofiwall platesfor. insertion. mine: spaced; sets, of grooveslint a sidia-by-side relation; each-wall plate being laterally formed'withairibr to engagethe side of an adjoining. plate ef-the sameset and, close the space: betweenrthe adi- V joinedplates, whereby the. number of plates; insorted. regulates-the size of. thecompartments. 5; formedateach sideof said partition. 1

3. A tuyere framehavingia flxed wall-and hav ing a, plurality of removable walls differentially spaced from thefixed wall artuyre chamber be..- ing: formed betweenthe fixed wall, and the-group of removablewalls and the, size of such chamber; being variable by; removalv of :one, or. more-of the; removable walls.- V j 4; A: tuyere; construction comprising top and bottom 7 plates spaced: .to. form a tuyere; compart: ment a sidewall for suchrcompartment extending-- betweenthe top and, bottom plates, and-:a-plu rality of plates insertable in' a-- desired numberbetween thetop and bottom plates :and in a.- sideby -side .-relation, the top and bottom plates.- each, having :a plurality of converging groovesto. ac,-; commodate; the: inserted plates, thei adjoining plates. interengaging, in their inserted positionsduetoconvergence of'said groovesato eliminate? spacesbetween the adjoinedzplates whereby the: number of insertediplates'regulates the. sizeofI said compartment. 7 V

T v JOSHUA K-z,CLUTTSL 

